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May the experienced people please respond. What are the best and most recommended food items for a juvenile male iguana?
rescued iguana
- Thread starter P. Novak
- Start date
We presently have 4 Igs and all were rescues not purchased. They are one of the most abandon reptiles in the US.
Grated Butternut Squash mixed with finely chopped Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Grated Carrots and some chopped strawberries is a good start.
I would also recommend getting it to a qualified Reptile vet ASAP for a complete work up including a CBC.
We have found that the majority of rescued Igs are suffering from some drgree of MBD and it is important to get them checked from the start.
A couple of super great web sites on Iguana care you need to study over and over are the following.
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/
http://www.greenigsociety.org/careinfo.htm
ps, thanks for caring enough to take in this guy.
Grated Butternut Squash mixed with finely chopped Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Grated Carrots and some chopped strawberries is a good start.
I would also recommend getting it to a qualified Reptile vet ASAP for a complete work up including a CBC.
We have found that the majority of rescued Igs are suffering from some drgree of MBD and it is important to get them checked from the start.
A couple of super great web sites on Iguana care you need to study over and over are the following.
http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/
http://www.greenigsociety.org/careinfo.htm
ps, thanks for caring enough to take in this guy.
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MBD? CBC? Sorry just never seen those acronyms before :wall:
I'm just trying to do anything I can for this little guy, he is very plump and very very friendly. I had him hanging out on the floor in my room, and within 5 minutes of me laying down he crawled up my bed onto my leg then onto my chest and layed down. When I began to pet him he began leaning into it like a puppy dog. It was heart melting. It's a shame he is so scarred up :8o
I'll try to find a reputable reptile vet asap. Anyone in San Jose know where one is?
Thanks alot for the info and help.
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CBC= complete blood count
MBD= metabolic bone disease
Dove has a good diet, also do not feed spinach =iodine binding
Wow, sounds like you got lucky so far. The last two rescues we took in are extremely stunted, 7 years old and less than three feet long, from poor diet. They were also suffering from MBD and one has a twisted foot caused by a leg break that healed improperly. One of them is almost as tame as you describe and climbs on me when I enter their enclosure. It even likes to ride my shoulder outdoors in the sun which is something I have never had happen with any of the other rescues we have taken in. Most of the rescues we have had over the years have been the poorly cared for, neglected, nearly wild types who whip with their tails and bite.
And boy can they bite!!!!!
MBD = Metabolic Bone Disease, most generally caused by lack of calcium being absorbed into the system. Lack of calcium in the system can be caused by providing proper calcium without providing the proper degree of UVB lighting that supplies the vitamin D3 needed for the Iguana to absorb calcium, or caused by not supplying enough calcium in the diet through proper foods and supplementation.
Causes soft bones that break easily and improper growth.
CBC = Complete Blood Count, this is a broad range testing of the blood to determine if they animal is anemic or has any infections or diseases you need to treat.
This vet is listed on the anapsid site as being in your area.
Garrand Look, DVM
VCA Crocker Animal Hospital
475 North Jackson Ave.
San Jose, CA 95133
408-272-1330
And boy can they bite!!!!!
MBD = Metabolic Bone Disease, most generally caused by lack of calcium being absorbed into the system. Lack of calcium in the system can be caused by providing proper calcium without providing the proper degree of UVB lighting that supplies the vitamin D3 needed for the Iguana to absorb calcium, or caused by not supplying enough calcium in the diet through proper foods and supplementation.
Causes soft bones that break easily and improper growth.
CBC = Complete Blood Count, this is a broad range testing of the blood to determine if they animal is anemic or has any infections or diseases you need to treat.
This vet is listed on the anapsid site as being in your area.
Garrand Look, DVM
VCA Crocker Animal Hospital
475 North Jackson Ave.
San Jose, CA 95133
408-272-1330
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Thanks again! I'm gonna call the vet either later today or tomorrow. On average how much do vet bills cost for iguanas? I'm not made of money :8o
I feel so bad for all those iguanas that are neglected and just tossed out. It's not right; it really isn't. It doesn't help that they are sold so cheap and so easy to obtain :/
With the calcium suppliment, I was reading something that you can use human calcium suppliments as long as they are crushed. How often do you give them the calcium?
Also, feeding. Do you feed once everyday? Or just have a supply of food in the cage all day?
Roughly, how old is a 2.5ft iguana?
Sorry for all the questions.
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Awww, you beat me to it, those sites are kickass. They should give you all you need to know and more.
Congrats on the rescue Novak, and good luck ~ Rex
Here is a list of Vets that may be handy to have (includes U.S.A. , Canada and also International) http://www.herpvetconnection.com/. Best of Luck!
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Best of luck, and I hope we get pictures sometime. 
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Thanks guys, I really hope to provide this guy a great new home. I'll get some pictures up soon.Best of luck, and I hope we get pictures sometime.
I agree with you on the feeling bad, which is why we started taking in Ig rescues in the first place. The first reptile I got after retiring from the Navy in 75 was an Iguana and I failed him by trusting his care to someone who allowed him to escape in Southern Fla while I was hiking the Appalachian Trail. His name was Snapper and as I see it, to some degree, I am still trying to make up for that mistake. Of course back then we had no readily available information on proper care but knowing what I know now we did pretty good with the exception of feeding him bananas. Bananas block nutrient absorption and proper digestion.
Anyway, we use HerpCare Calcium Supplement without (NO Phosphorus or D3) for our guys but any source of pure Calcium Carbonate ground into a fine powder will work. Before I would even think about using any human calcium tabs I would be sure they are pure calcium carbonate and nothing else.
We provide the D3 with Mega Ray Mercury Vapor lamps in the winter and a mix of the Mega Ray and natural sun in outdoor pens in the summer. We stay away from calcium with D3 as the additional D3 must be processed through the kidneys and could cause problems. As for phosphorus, most foods you feed have much more P than Ca so the P is neither needed nor desired. If you want to research the nutrients the veggies etc you feed will provide I recommend the following link.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
As for how often, we use the calcium & multivitamins we use them every other feeding as a rule which would be 3 - 4 times a week I guess.
In answer to your frequency question we feed daily about 9:00 in the morning and remove any left overs about 4:00 in the afternoon. As a rule I have found they will chow down right away and snack a little in the afternoon.
On the size of the one you have, checking the chart I saved from the anapsid site, if your Ig has been properly fed & cared for it should be about 2 years old. LOL still a baby and not into puberty yet, lucky you. Males can get a mite feisty for a couple of months in the spring when the hit puberty.
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Just an update on the iguana. Her name is now Sauria because she was sexed as a female at the vets office. The vet said she was actually in pretty good condition. All I need to do is inject her with antibiotics and put some antibiotic cream(forgot the names) on her scars/cuts because they were infected. She had a swollen eye so I was given eyedrops to help it. This needs to be done for the next 2 weeks, and I am on day 4 already. She's a great girl, very friendly, and I hope she's around for a long time.
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ugh, i can totally agree. On saturday, I overheard a girl shopping at petco. She looked at the iguanas, and exclaimed that they were really big (they were tiny little things!). I guess they were bigger than the one she already had. Then she decided that since they were only $30, she could buy one as a companion to the one she had.
I feel bad for these critters. They get sold for practically nothing, and are then treated as disposable. I think it would be cool to have one, and gave it some serious thought about a year ago, but decided that I couldn't provide for one right now.
So thank you to all of the wonderful people out there who give these guys a second chance!